Business Case For Traveling on a Private Plane

Business Case For Traveling on a Private Plane

Business executives have taken much criticism for corporate extravagances of late. It has only grown louder during the current economic climate. One of the favorite targets of critics is executive aircraft. A business case can be made for the use of private aircraft, but corporate executives do have to think differently about it.

The most often used defense for executive aircraft is that it promotes productivity. Executives can get more done in air while traveling aboard a private aircraft, not to mention securely and privately. Also, by not having to deal security lines, flight delays, or connecting flights, corporate personnel can get to more destinations in a single day. It is even plausible that the trip that would take a week to get to five cities, could be completed in a single day with corporate aircraft.

While this productivity argument is true, corporate aircraft are nonetheless very expensive. They cost multiple millions to purchase and are almost as expensive to maintain annually. This is why critics, whether they are shareholders or politicians, point at the excesses of executives. However, there are number of alternatives to flying aboard private aircraft then outright ownership. This is where business leaders need to change their mindset- from ownership to charters. The good news is charters can also offer the executive more benefits than full ownership.

Chartering an aircraft is good route to go. Actually, almost all alternatives are some variation of the chartering theme. One of the main benefits to a corporate executive is that they are not limited to a single or a few aircraft. The executive has entire fleets of aircraft to choose their travel from. This means a private jet can have more seats for a larger group, or another corporate aircraft that has workstations for personnel to get a lot done in flight, or they can choose another private plane that has a bed and full bath for more luxury on a long flight.

The cost effectiveness of chartering an aircraft over ownership can be amazing. There are other cost effective options like fractional ownership or jet cards that can provide the business executive even more options. It only takes 5 to 7 hours notice within the continental United States to have a plane ready and waiting to take them where they need to go. Charters and the other options make it much harder for critics to criticize corporate travel as an executive extravagance.